


What's With The Blue Hair?

by TheMoonlighter01



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Canon Divergence - Post-Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Gen, Hogwarts!Teddy, Not Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Compliant, POV Alternating, So many OCs
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-09
Updated: 2020-08-04
Packaged: 2021-03-04 21:08:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 19,233
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25172890
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheMoonlighter01/pseuds/TheMoonlighter01
Summary: Teddy was not an average kid. His father was a werewolf, his mother was a metamorphmagus, his family consisted of war heroes and his godfather was the most famous man in wizard history. Of course, he never expected to have an average stay at Hogwarts.But it was only his first year, what could possibly go wrong?
Comments: 2
Kudos: 16





	1. A Proper Wizard

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Okay so, this is maybe the third time I've rewritten this story over the last three years lol. Finally I think I've reached a place where I actually enjoy what I'm writing, so I decided to give it one more shot.
> 
> I'm pretty sure this is gonna flop, but tbh I don't even care. This was so fun to write, I love baby Teddy and I've got so many things prepared for this fic that I just had to put it out there.
> 
> Let me know if you liked it! Constructive criticism is ALWAYS welcome! I'd love to see what you guys think!
> 
> Thank you for reading!

Teddy being awake before noon willingly? Unlikely.

Teddy being awake before noon willingly at summer? Very unlikely.

But yet here he was. The sun had barely made itself known and the young boy was already zooming about his room like a stray snitch. He couldn’t help it. Today was the day he had been waiting for since - well, forever.

Because the only thing that could even compete with going to Hogwarts itself, was getting his school supplies for the first time. Getting his very own wand. 

Just the thought of it gave him the shivers.

“Teddy-” He stopped in his tracks as he heard his grandmother walk down the hallway to his room, which right then and there, was a chaotic mess. It was at times like these where he really, really wanted a wand. “Teddy dear, won’t you come down for-” She gasped, horrified at the state of the bedroom and Teddy just hung his head low, accepting defeat. “Edward Remus Lupin, what in the name of Merlin is the meaning of this?!”

“I’m sorry Gramma,” Teddy mumbled, offering her a sheepish look. “I was looking for my beanie and-”

“You felt the need to turn your bedroom into a war zone, did you?”

“well…” He looked at the beanie in his hand and then at his grandmother, who looked as cross as she always did when Teddy was messy, which was more often than he’d like to admit. “...It was very hard to find see,”

“Very hard to find, was it?” She snipped, heaving out a deep sigh while shaking her head. “Just get your bottom down for breakfast, your godfather will be here at any minute.” Teddy grinned, hopping off the room before Andromeda could change her mind. He was fully aware that he had only got off scot-free because today was a very special day.

He carefully tucked his (currently) auburn hair under the beanie that had caused him so much trouble, making sure no strands were visible. Being a metamorphmagus was a great treat, if you knew what you were doing that is. 

And Teddy absolutely did not.

Andromeda often said that he’d get that hang of it when he was older, and for that he could only hope. He was better at preventing his hair from switching colours as often as a traffic light (Which in and of itself was great; he really didn’t need the whole family to know he was embarrassed when his hair turned a revolting shade of pink.), but that was as far as he had mastered his abilities.

And Teddy, knowing his insides were in a frenzy today, really would rather avoid the constant ogling and staring. Of course, just the fact that he was headed to Diagon Alley with the Harry Potter made that virtually impossible, but he’d rather not aggravate the situation if he could help it.

He was so lost in his train of thought that the familiar loud crack heard from the living room caught him off guard and he almost toppled over his chair, choking on the sausage he was chewing. “You couldn’t take the floo, could you?” He asked his godfather, who stifled a laugh as he made his way towards him.

“Too much trouble,” He said, yanking the beanie off the boy’s head and ruffling his coloured hair, causing him to glare. He should’ve known better, Harry always did this. He pecked the top of his head and gave the hat back to his godson. “Besides your expression whenever someone apparates is priceless.”

“You’re so funny,” Teddy rolled his eyes, shoving his head under the beanie once again.

“I try my best,” The man grinned. “So, excited for today?”

“Excited?!” They heard Andromeda from up the stairs just as Teddy was about to say anything. “This child has been jumping up and down the walls for days now!” She descended, both hands on her hips and a rather amused smile on her face. Teddy didn’t know what she was smiling about, but thought it was better than getting a scolding in front of his godfather. 

“Oh, I can only imagine!” Harry said, accepting the cup of coffee Andromeda had poured to him. “But I can’t blame him though, it’s not every day that a young man gets his first wand, is it?” Teddy tried to hide his grin with a mouthful of scrambled eggs.

“It really isn’t,” Andromeda caressed his cheek with a soft hand and beamed at him. “I do wish I could take the day off for this occasion…” 

Teddy pouted. “Are you sure you can’t?”

The woman sighed with a frown. “Sorry dear, I’m already taking the thirty-first and the first off…” He understood that his grandmother was a busy woman and that the job of a mediwitch was not easy, but well...it was his first wand. “But I’m sure Harry will take loads of pictures for me, won’t you Harry?”

“And I’ll be making copies! Molly will want to frame it somewhere I’m sure.” Teddy giggled at that.

“She will, won’t she?” Andromeda sounded almost exasperated, but her voice still had some humour. Teddy giggled, sometimes it felt like the two women competed against each other on who coddled Teddy the most. 

The three of them continued on with their banter until Andromeda glanced at her watch and her eyes widened slightly. “Oh dear, look at the time!” She grabbed her coat from the rack. “I’ll be off then! Have fun and Harry, don’t give him too many sweets, I’ll know if you do.” Teddy had to keep himself from rolling his eyes at her last remark but he was well used to being babied.

“Sure thing Andy,” Harry didn’t sound like he really meant it at all, and Teddy hoped he didn’t. “Have a good day!” 

“You too! Be back by supper!” and with that she disapparated.

“Well, we should get going then.” Harry glanced at his own battered watch. “I’m sure Diagon Alley is bustling with people by now.” the man sighed and Teddy could tell he was dreading the crowd as much as he was.

“Hopefully not?” He tried to offer, but they both knew that Diagon Alley being anything other that filled to the brim on the last week before Hogwarts was as likely as a blind man catching a snitch.

Harry smiled at him and sighed, shrugging before standing up and offering Teddy his hand. The boy gave it a wary look, knowing exactly what it meant. “C’mon now Ted, up you get.”

“But do we have to apparate?” Teddy hated how whiny he sounded almost as much as he hated apparating. It always made him feel sick, and Ron’s splinching story had traumatized him slightly. Harry gave him a look and the boy shrugged. “I mean we could travel by Floo just as easily,” He was also not a fan of the floo network and how filthy he felt afterwards, but it still gave him more stability. 

“Now Teddy, you know that’ll be more of a hassle.” Teddy sighed, standing up begrudgingly. “You’ll be fine, and if anything happens we can always do a quick cleaning spell in a jiffy,”

“That was only one time,” Teddy muttered under his breath, feeling his cheeks heat up with the knowledge that that was a lie. 

“Right,” Said Harry, resting his hand on Teddy’s shoulder in that kind of reassuring way that only he could offer. “It’ll be quick, won’t it? Before you can really feel it it’s over.” If Teddy had to floo he’d much prefer doing it with Harry. Andromeda was far less patient with his slight phobia, and would usually get frustrated when Teddy didn’t grip her hand quickly enough. Teddy took Harry’s hand into his and breathed deeply, bracing himself. “Ready?”

He forced his eyes shut. “Yep,”

“Good,” And with a loud crack, they both disapparated.

o0o

“So, what shall we do first?” Harry grabbed the piece of parchment that contained Teddy’s supply list and peered over it. The boy shrugged, partly trying to swallow down the rest of the nausea that had washed over him (Thankfully the streets of Diagon Alley hadn’t been decorated with his breakfast) and partly because he didn’t know where to start. 

“What do you reckon?” If he had it his way they’d go straight to Ollivanders, but he knew Harry was likely to save it for last to add some sort of dramatic effect or whatever. Harry hummed briefly, looking around at the packed streets almost in a grimace. 

“I think we’d better get to Madam Malkin’s first since it’s the closest and go from there,” Teddy nodded as Harry tucked the list inside his back pocket. He grabbed Teddy’s hand, which the boy would usually be embarrassed by if it weren’t for the sheer amount of people walking around on the main street.

He didn’t know where Madam Malkin’s was, but they seemingly couldn’t get there fast enough. He had lost track of the number of people who had stopped them to shake Harry's hand or take a picture, which slowed them down immensely, not to mention the blatant stares, pointed fingers and not so quiet whisper. Needless to say that both of them, though fairly used to it by this point, were starting to get quite overwhelmed.

Harry all but shoved Teddy inside the robes shop and the boy almost sighed in relief. “Blimey,” Harry muttered to himself, glaring slightly outside the window.

“Well, it’s not every day you get to shake hands with the Chosen One himself now, is it?” Teddy said with a smirk, watching his godfather quirk an eyebrow. “I mean, I personally don’t see what the big deal is really but…”

“Well, the Chosen One can still get your bottom grounded so I’d watch your cheek if I were you,” Harry scolded, though his grin meant he wasn’t quite so serious.

Minutes later a squat lady wearing stylish purple robes and grey hair neatly done in an updo appeared behind the counter. "Mr. Potter!" She seemed slightly taken aback though not nearly as starstruck as the vast majority of people who had seen them today. "I'm sorry for the wait, you know how it gets with the start of term right around the corner..."

She approached the man to shake his hand in a respectful, professional manner which was quite refreshing fo both Harry and Teddy.

"Oh, It's quite alright, we didn't wait long at all, and I assumed the shop would be quite busy, the street is so packed you can barely walk!” He offered an exasperated look. “We definitely should've come fetch his school supplies ages ago." Harry rested his hand on Teddy's shoulder and the boy beamed awkwardly at the lady.

"Oh, so you'll be my customer today? What's your name young man?" She extended her hand to shake Teddy's, whom was grateful for finally being acknowledged.

"I'm Teddy, Teddy Lupin. Pleasure to meet you, ma’am"

“Well aren’t you a charming young lad?” Teddy blushed, but smiled politely nonetheless. “Pleasure is all mine, dear.”

"Teddy’s my Godson, he's starting his first year at Hogwarts," Harry said and Teddy didn’t miss the proud smile on his face.

"Is he now? Well then, Mr. Lupin, if you'd kindly follow me to the fitting room...It might take a while since there are quite a few kids getting fitted though..."

"Will it? Well, then I think I'm going to grab a few other things quickly just to speed up the process, that okay with you Ted?" Teddy nodded. Books, scales and other trivial things weren’t exactly the thing he had been excited about.

Harry assured him that he'd be back quickly and went on his way. Madam Malkin led him to a back room filled with about ten kids, all getting fitted as their robes magically got tighter or looser, longer or shorter. Teddy sat at one of the stools and waited for his turn, not really knowing what to do with himself.

A few minutes passed when one of Madam Malkin’s employees walked in with a girl that had an expression that was a mix of wonder and shock. Her eyes seemed to be the size of saucers, and they were only enhanced by her thick pair of glasses.

She looked about Teddy's age. Short and rather stocky, he wondered if she'd be starting her first year too. Probably, by the looks of it. She seemed nervous and fidgety in an almost frightened manner. If Teddy had to bet he’d say she was a muggle-born as well.

"Wotcher," Said Teddy as she sat down on the stool next to his.

Her jet black hair seemed to be longer than her whole body and her thick bangs seemed to almost reach her honey-coloured eyes, which contrasted with her ebony skin tone.

"Oh hello!" She said as if she had just now noticed Teddy standing right next to her. She gave him a once over and he was glad to be wearing his beanie. "Are you here to fetch your school robes too?"

"Yeah, you're just starting at Hogwarts?" Teddy asked and she nodded excitedly. "So we'll be in the same year then."

"Cool!" She seemed cheerful, so much so that Teddy wouldn’t be too surprised if she jumped in excitement. The girl flashed a wide smile and Teddy noticed the silver little squares that decorated her teeth, all connected by wire band. Teddy wanted to ask what was that, but he felt like it would be rude to do so. “This is all so bonkers, isn’t it? Well, for me it is anyway. You see I’m a…” She stopped bouncing her legs for a second, her eyes narrowing. “Uh...What is it called again? Muddle-Thorn?...Mumble something…”

“You mean a muggle-born?” She snapped her fingers and nodded.

“Yes, that’s it!” She looked amusedly at Teddy, almost as if trying to figure out what to make of him. “What about you?”

“Well, I’m a half-blood,” When the girl gave him a confused look he went on. “Basically er...if you are a descendent of a muggle, you’re a half-blood. It’s quite a complicated concept actually, I don’t really get it myself most of the time...” He admitted. “But it’s not important either way.”

“I see…” Judging by her pursed lips the girl still had a myriad of questions she wanted to ask him, but instead she shrugged, sparing Teddy from giving a lesson in blood-purity. He was thankful for that. “You were raised a wizard though, right?” Teddy nodded. and her eyes seemed to shine. “oh, you must know loads about magic then!” 

Teddy chuckled. "Well I mean, I know some stuff but it doesn't really mean anything. I won't really have much of an advantage when we go to Hogwarts anyway." 

"You think so? I feel like I'm going to fall behind terribly since I don’t know anything at all. I dunno, I'm kinda nervous..." She frowned. Teddy tried to give her a reassuring look.

"Nah, that's rubbish. Y'know, my auntie is a muggle-born and everyone says she's the smartest witch there is." Teddy said proudly. “She was top of her class at Hogwarts, in everything mind.” He realized he was boasting slightly and stopped talking, but the girl seemed amazed.

"Really?" When Teddy nodded she got that smile back on her face. "Wow, that’s amazing!"

"Yeah, she works for the ministry of magic now, she's trying to become minister."

"Ministry of magic? You have a whole ministry?!"

"Yeah! It’s the wizarding government you see, and-"

"Um, excuse me," One of the assistants called both of them. "We're ready for you."

They both stood on the smaller stools at the front of the room and Teddy couldn't help but noticed the girl's amazed expression as the bewitched ruler took her measurements and her robbers were magically fitted to her size.

"This is mad!" She squealed after they were done with the fitting and had their uniforms on their bags.

"You'll get used to it," Teddy chuckled as they left the room. “You should read Hogwarts, a History if you get the chance, it’s basically a school guide, and it’s quite a fun read.” Teddy didn’t know if he was saying that because he genuinely liked the book or because aunt Hermione had urged him to read it since he was old enough to do so.

"Oh that’s great, will make thing easier up there I suppose. Whenever my dad gets back I’ll ask him if we can get it.” She said as they sat down by the waiting area, which had quite a few people but no sign of Harry. “Hey, I don't think we ever introduced ourselves,”

"Merlin, you're totally right. I'm Teddy," He extended his hand to the girl. "You?"

"Mahakali," She said brightly, shaking his hand. “Kali for short.”

"That's a cool name," Teddy commented. "I’ve never heard it before."

"Yeah, it's Hindi, not very common," She seemed to flutter slightly for some reason. "It’s...a goddess I think? That’s what my dad told me it was."

"Oh that’s quite nice!” Teddy said just as he saw a mop of unruly black hair enter the shop. “Oh look! There's my godfather! Harry!" He started waving at the man's direction, who took a moment before realizing where Teddy was.

"Hello there, did I take too long?" He said when he got to them, taking the bag off of Teddy's hand. “The lines were quite maddening,” He sighed heavily.

"Not at all, we just got out, there were like ten other kids getting fitted at the same time so it kinda took a while."

"I see...So, you intend in introducing your friend here?" Harry smiled politely at the girl as she looked back and forth between them, standing rather awkward.

"Oh yes, I'm sorry. Harry this is Kali, she will be in the same year as me. Kali, this is my godfather Harry."

"Pleasure to meet you sir," She said nicely as they shook hands. Teddy noticed Harry looked rather pleased, maybe it was for the fact that she wasn't ogling him like most people at the store.

"Pleasure is mine young lady." He looked around and noticed that the girl was by herself. "Are you waiting for anyone?"

"Yeah, my dad, but I'm sure he'll be back anytime now, he went to the bank to grab some er...wizard money...Is there a name for wizard currency?" She looked at Teddy with a questioning look and the boy did some math on his head before answering.

"Well...You have your knuts, your sickles and your galleons. There's twenty knuts in a sickle and seventeen sickles in a galleon. And before you ask, I have no idea what that is in pounds."

"God, that's so weird..." She seemed puzzled and understandably so. Even Teddy sometimes had trouble wrapping his head around it.

"Quite,” Harry said with a chuckle. “It took me ages to figure out how it worked when I first got here..."

"Oh, you're a muggle-born too sir?" Kali asked innocently. It was weird talking to someone who knew absolutely nothing about Harry's life. Sometimes it seemed like people knew a little too much.

"No, but I was raised by them, er..." Teddy knew that it ticked off Harry slightly, his muggle relatives were a subject that was rarely touched on. "It was great meeting you dear, but I think we really ought to get going...your grandma wants us back before supper." He directed the last part to Teddy.

"Oh, of course, my dad will be here soon anyway." She looked at Teddy with a smile. "So...see you september first?"

"Yeah, see you then. It was nice meeting you, Kali." They bid each other goodbye and after Harry paid for the robes, they were on their way.

"She seemed nice enough, didn't she?" Teddy wondered out loud as he pushed the cart that carried most of his shopping bags down the street. "I mean, it would be nice getting there with so company, I wouldn't want to sit all alone on the train."

"She seemed lovely. Y'know, I also met my first peer at Hogwarts here at Madam Malkin's shop all those years ago."

"Really?" Teddy gave his godfather a confused look. He always thought the first people he met were the Weasleys when he was trying to go through the barrier at King's Cross. That's the story he had always been told. "Who?"

"Draco Malfoy." Teddy shuddered. He had never met the man and had no intentions to anyway, even if they were technically related. Even though he had been pardoned Harry had told him enough stories to make him want to stay away.

"Yikes." Teddy said and Harry chuckled, taking control of the cart from his godson's hand and leading the way.

"Yikes indeed. Goes without saying it wasn't quite the pleasurable experience. Can you take the list on my pocket here, Ted? Tell me whatever isn't checked." 

"Er," Teddy fumbled a bit with the man's back pocket before extracting the list from it. "We've got left one cauldron, one set of phials, one telescope, one set of brass scales and y'know, the wand."

"Off we go then," And so they did. Thankfully many of the things were sold at the same place and they didn't need to wander around Diagon Alley for long.

Teddy stopped momentarily and drooled over the newest firebolt that had just come out in front of Quality Quidditch Supplies, but Harry soon urged the boy along.

“I’m just saying, Christmas is just right around the corner…” Harry sighed amusedly at the boy, shaking his head.

“Nice try Teddy,” Teddy sighed. well, at least he had tried.

Soon they were headed to Ollivanders and Teddy felt like his heart was about to explode out of his chest. His whole life he heard that a wizard's first touch on his wand was a one of a kind sensation, that each wand matched perfectly with the person it chose and Teddy always wanted to know what that was like.

"We're here," Harry said with the proudest smile on his face. He put a hand over Teddy's shoulder as he always did and guided the boy inside.

The shop was dark, stuffy and a bit dusty but Teddy didn't even mind. There was a man at the front who he looked so old that Teddy was sure he'd turn to dust any minute. There were wands stacked from the ground up to the ceiling surrounded him, all inside dusty cases.

"Harry Potter," The man said suddenly. His voice was raspy and barely audible. His hair was as white as his eyes and he seemed to shake slightly. "What a surprise seeing you here."

"Hello Ollivander, I'm here to fetch my godson's wand." The elder stared at Teddy and the boy felt forced to avoid his eyes, feeling the hairs at the back of his neck standing up straight.

"What is your name, boy?" Teddy gulped and looked at Harry for some sort of reassurance.

"Er...I'm Teddy Lupin..."

"Lupin eh? My...time does fly...It seems like I sold your parents wands yesterday..." His staring seemed to intensify and Teddy tried to avoid his silvery eyes. If he was honest he was starting to feel a bit uncomfortable.

"Your father's...ten inches, cypress wood...unicorn hair core, rather pliable. Your mother, on the other hand, was a nine-inch ebony wand with...dragon heartstring...rather bendy...Now you...What you might be...." He stared Teddy down one last time before disappearing to the back of his shop.

"He's a bit...odd...isn't he?" Teddy whispered to his godfather and Harry gave a small chuckle. "And also very old."

"You'll figure out soon enough that the most brilliant wizards often carry at least one of these characteristics." At that moment Ollivanders himself came back, carrying a pile of wand cases.

Teddy tried each and every one of the wands the man had brought but none of them seemed to be the perfect match. Some broke vases, some yielded no results at all and there was even one that actually seemed quite offended and sent Teddy to the ground unceremoniously. He was starting to get the slightest bit frustrated but he reminded himself that Harry had said that people didn't usually find their perfect wand right off the bat.

"Pardon me boy, but are you a metamorphmagus like your mother?"

"Yes," Teddy said, not really knowing where his was going. Ollivanders face lit up behind his many wrinkles.

"Well then," He opened a cabinet behind his desk and searched for a bit until finally pulling yet another wand case, all the while muttering to himself things that Teddy couldn't make sense of. “Why, this changes everything…” He walked over to them, holding a different case in his hands.

"Yew wood, eleven inches, unicorn hair, rather flexible." He said as he opened the box. Teddy carefully grabbed the wand and immediately felt a warm sensation that seemed to rush down his body from the wand tip all the way to his toes, and he just knew then and there that he had found it. 

"Is it the one?" Harry seemed as excited as Teddy felt. The boy slowly nodded, studying his wand carefully with an expression of amazement and awe.

"Quite a rare combination, Mr. Lupin. Only the most notorious wizards get matched with a wand like this…the yew wand never chooses either a mediocre or a timid owner, you see.” The man drawled on, Teddy could almost hear the undertone of curiosity. “I’m sure we can expect very interesting things from you...Very interesting indeed…”

"I-I...thank you, Mr. Ollivander." Teddy was still in shock. He finally had his own wand. He had dreamed this day since he was old enough to understand the magnitude of this moment. This was his and his only. It was the perfect fit for him and no one else. It had chosen him.

He was finally a proper wizard.

His moment of awe was quickly interrupted by the click of a camera and a flash of light that though small, contrasted against the dimly lit store. Teddy was caught off guard and almost dropped his newly acquired wand from the start.

“Merlin, you could have told me!”

“I wanted to catch your genuine reaction,” Harry grinned at his frown as the picture revealed itself from the bewitched polaroid and quickly tucked the photo neatly inside his pocket before the boy had a chance to see it.

Harry squeezed Teddy's shoulder and the boy looked up. "Do my eyes deceive me," He said, raising an eyebrow and smirking. "Or are you tearing up?"

"Oh, shut it," Harry said chuckling. "It’s just that...I blinked and suddenly you're all grown up, brandishing your own wand and all...That said though," Harry snatched the wand from Teddy's grip unceremoniously.

"Hey!"

"Safekeeping. You don't want to lose an eye do you?" Teddy looked disgruntled, but shook his head anyway. "Great." Harry paid for the wand and soon they were on their way out.

The streets didn’t bustle with nearly as many people as when they first arrived. Harry had allowed Teddy to take a proper look at Quidditch Supplies and had even bought him the latest issue of the magazine Fast Brooms, Quick Snitches as a treat.

“Vic would love this,” Teddy mused aloud as he skimmed through the pages. “Look, they’ve got a pink handle on this comet one, see?” He showed the page to Harry.

“Oh, that’s quite nice. My guess is that Fleur and Bill will be making an investment this christmas.” Teddy snorted.

“Maybe, but I don’t think she’s quite tall enough to grip this one properly. Maybe they’ve got a junior version,” There was a beat of silence, in which Teddy didn’t realize the look his godfather had given to him.

“Teddy?”

“Hmm?”

“I was wondering...Why didn’t you get Vic to come with us?” Teddy took his gaze away from the magazine and looked at his godfather. 

“Oh...Well I tried, she was the one who didn’t want to come.” Harry frowned slightly, raising an eyebrow. “She said her parents didn’t let her come, but it’s bollocks if you ask me-”

“Teddy…” Harry gave him a stern look.

“Sorry,” Said Teddy, not really sounding sorry at all. “I dunno, she’s been...weird.” Harry scrunched up his eyebrows, leading their way to Fortescue Ice Cream Parlour. Teddy only hoped Andromeda wouldn’t give his poor godfather too much grief.

“Weird like how?”

“Weird like…” Teddy sighed as they sat down at an outside table, frowning at the menu in front of him. “These past few weeks, I dunno she’s been acting really off. She’s been treating me like a dirty toerag and won’t even answer my letters! The other day at the Burrow I’m pretty sure she threw the bludger at me on purpose.” Scowling at the memory, Teddy huffed. He couldn’t understand what was going on, or what he had done, and he resented the fact that Victoire wouldn’t even tell him so he could at least try and apologize. “I just can’t figure out what’s the matter.”

“Oh,” Harry gave a slight chuckle, deciding whether he wanted treacle tart ice cream or chocolate and raspberry. “That does make sense.”

“What do you mean?!” Teddy sounded incredulous. “Do you know something? Fleur and Bill tell you anything?!”

“It’s quite obvious, isn’t it?” Harry gave him an exasperated look when the boy looked confused. “Well, She’ll miss you, won’t she? You two have always been joined at the hip, reckon she’ll feel terribly lonely without you around.”

Teddy wrinkled his forehead, deep in thought. It didn’t excuse her odd behaviour. Victoire had spent three months at France last year and of course, he had missed her then, but he didn’t go and whack her over the head because of it. “Well of course I’ll miss her too, but it’s not like it’s my fault! And if that’s the case why wouldn’t she just say so instead of brooding around and resorting to violence?!”

Harry gave his godson an amused look, which irritated Teddy to no end and sighed, closing the menu and scratching the stubble on his chin. “Teddy, I’m going to give you my first piece of advice in regards to women, so you’d better listen closely.” He narrowed his eyes at him, nodding slowly. “Goodness, didn’t think it would be so soon,” Teddy blushed fiercely at that.

“Well get on with it then!”

“You see Ted, when you grow older you begin to realize that women are quite complex individuals,” He began. “They don’t usually just go and tell it like it is like we blokes might do. Most times they want us to take the initiative, we’ve got to learn to read the signs, you know?” Teddy’s nose was scrunched up in confusion. 

“But...why though?”

“Well, uh…” Suddenly Harry seemed quite confused himself. “I’m no expert...I’ve only been with your aunt Ginny, mind. Not every lady is the same of course.” Teddy nodded. 

“Well, what shall I do then?!” He rested his head defeatedly. He didn’t want Vic to be mad at him, especially before he went to Hogwarts and would go months without seeing her, but he found this whole thing quite stupid if he had to be honest. 

“Well, apologize to her,”

“But I haven’t done anything wrong!”

“Teddy, would you rather be happy or be right?” Teddy glowered. “Just talk to her, try to see her reasoning and reach an understanding. That’s how you achieve anything in life.” The boy pouted slightly, shrugging as one of the waitresses approached them.

Harry had ordered treacle tart flavour for himself and chocolate fudge for the kid. Thankfully he knew Teddy’s orders front to back, because the young wizard was still wrapped up in though. He still had quite certainty that he had done something to the girl and just couldn’t remember, she wouldn’t just be mad at him because she’d miss him.

“I’ll apologize to her,” Teddy decided finally. “At the Burrow, It’ll be fine. Whatever it is, I’m not going to go all the way to Hogwarts while she’s mad at me.” The waitress arrived with their ice cream at that moment. Harry smiled at him, already tucking in to the dessert.

“Aw, look at you!” He said, swallowing a big scoop. “ A true lad!” Teddy rolled his eyes but grinned. 

“Hopefully she doesn’t get violent…” Teddy shuddered, it would be his last day before boarding to Hogwarts, he’d really rather not get one last taste of Victoire’s rage.

“Well if she does, you’ll know she’s a true Weasley woman.” Harry shuddered slightly. “Lovely, but fierce. You’d better hope to never be on the receiving end of Ginny’s Bat-Bogey Hex,”

Teddy laughed through his scoop of ice cream.

o0o

The days that followed his visit to Diagon Alley were both painfully slow and overwhelmingly fast. Teddy didn’t even know what was possible, but his hair wouldn’t change from that awful eye-watering yellow.

His grandma had fussed over him more than she had ever done in his entire life, and didn’t even have it in her to scold him as much as she did on a daily basis. He had checked his trunks at least a dozen times, read Hogwarts, a history twice over and looked endearingly at his beautiful, polished and pristine wand that Andromeda had made him keep on the wand holder (safekeeping) for more hours than he could count.

The day before his departure coincidentally happened to be on a sunday, and it worked perfectly because every sunday for as long as Teddy could remember were exclusive dedicated to the notorious Weasley get-togethers. Of course, despite the name the invitation also extended to the Lovegoods, Longbottoms, Potters (obviously), a single Lupin and on occasion other family friends and acquaintances that always pointed out how much Teddy had grown and Teddy had to politely smile and pretend like he knew who they were.

It wasn’t often that everyone could attend though, and Molly always gave them grief about it afterwards, but Teddy loved every moment he had with his honorary family. The Burrow was like a third home to him, after the Potter’s and his own.

Teddy felt the need to dress up slightly for the occasion. Nice jeans instead of shorts, a casual button down shirt instead of a hoodie and his trusty beanie, because he knew he’d have more pictures taken of himself than Harry had after defeating Voldemort. 

“Oh for Merlin’s sake,” Andromeda sighed after they had apparated at the hill by the Burrow and Teddy stumbled clumsily on his feet. “Just like your mother…”Teddy grinned to himself. Sure, he was a klutz, but he loved it when Andromeda said that.

Teddy had a weird feeling when he knocked. He couldn’t hear any loud voices, no children around the house of china being broken, which was quite uncharacteristic of these events. “Come in, will you?” He heard the voice of Mrs. Weasley through the door. “The doors unlocked!” 

“That’s quite odd,” He muttered to Andromeda, hesitantly grabbing the doorknob. 

“Well just open it it then,” The woman said. “Molly must be busy with the cooking.” Teddy just shrugged and opened the door. Before he could take in his surroundings he was assaulted by more than twenty voices screaming at his face.

“SURPRISE!” Teddy jumped out of his skin in fright and utter shock, and just didn’t topple over again because his grandma was right behind him, almost as if she knew what his reaction would be.

It seemed that everyone he had gotten to know through his eleven years of living was there, huddled together in the middle of the Weasley’s living room. He was so baffled that for once in his life he couldn’t say anything. “I think he might faint,” He heard George Weasley say and that seemed to snap his senses back.

His mouth parted into a face splitting grin as he felt his grandma hold his shoulders tightly. “W-What’s all this?!” He stammered, his voice filled with glee.

“Well, it’s a going-away party of course!” Molly yanked his from Andromeda’s grasp, pulling him into a bone-crushing hug. “My little cub is going to Hogwarts!” Teddy might have been embarrassed if everyone in the room wasn’t used (or had fallen victim) to Molly’s coddling. “The first one of the lot! I’m getting so old!” Teddy tried to say something but his face was pressed against the fabric of her apron. “What was that?”

“Mum, you’re suffocating the poor boy,” Said Ron through a fit of chuckles.

Molly held Teddy at an arm’s length, the boy looking rather red on the face and smiled, offering him a sloppy kiss on the cheek. “Oh, I’ve prepared your favourites! Treacle Tart, cornish pasties, you name it! Oh, Hello Andy!”

“Molly,” Andromeda had a smile on her face that rather resembled a grimace, but Teddy had no time to dwell on it as he was immediately swept into numerous other hugs, pats on the back and unannounced pictures.

“Almost thirty years and the woman doesn’t change!” Teddy heard Bill say exasperatedly. “The same way when I went to Hogwarts!”

All the Weasley made sure to make a presence. Even Charlie who lived in Romania and only ever came down to special occasions was here, but then again, Teddy thought that was a rather special occasion. The younger kids were buzzing his mind with hundreds of questions per minute, which actually was quite ordinary.

“Calm down you guys, I haven’t even gotten to Hogwarts yet,”

“Can you do any magic?” Roxanne asked, her coily auburn hair bouncing along with her whole body.

“No Roxie, see-”

“Have you got you wand yet?!” Fred stood beside his twin sister, his eyes also full of wonder and curiosity.

“Yes but-”

“Oh! Can we see it?”

“Please Teddy let us see it!”

“I don’t have it with me right now,” The crowd of little kids was becoming quite overwhelming. There were ten of them in total, all bustling with questions Teddy didn't have the answer to. He was usually quite used to entertaining the mob of little cousins, but they were getting older, and definitely more inquisitive.

“Daddy says that a proper wizard always has his wand with them!” Molly said, in a tone not unlike that of her father’s, which was slightly unsettling considering the fact that she was still eight years old.

“Oh, I'll bet he does,” Teddy had to keep himself from rolling his eyes at the miniature Percy in front of him. 

“Teddy is a proper wizard!” James came to his defense. Teddy couldn’t help the smile that tugged at his lips as the almost five-year-old strutted towards him, scowling at his cousin. “Teddy is the bestest wizard!”

“Bestest isn’t a word, silly.” James showed her his tongue in an unceremonious manner.

“It is too!”

“Nuh-huh!”

“Yeah-huh!”

“That’s enough!” Hermione bellowed, her face red as she rested a hand over her heavily pregnant belly. “You’re suffocating him! Scurry off all of you, the food’s on the table!” and just like that twenty little footsteps were heard rushing to the dining room.

“Thanks for that,” Teddy chuckled, wrapping Hermione into a hug and being mindful of her growing belly since she was one of the few whom he hadn’t gotten a chance to properly talk to yet. 

“You need to be more assertive with them,” She said, fussing over Teddy’s collar. “Or else they will eat you alive!” Teddy sighed, knowing she was right, but he never had the heart to be hard on his little cousins. Maybe that was why he was never trusted to babysit. He simply shrugged, accepting his fate.

“If that’s the price I’ll have to pay to be the cool cousin then I guess it’s worth it.” Hermione shook her head disapprovingly, but couldn’t hide her grin.

“Off you go then, there’s a whole feast waiting for you,” She pushed him towards the dining room and Teddy was surprised to find that she was only half-joking.

Molly had really outdone herself. Roast chicken, shepherd's pie, roast potatoes, all decorated the table. Teddy felt his mouth water, and spent no time at all trying to find a seat. “Aunt Molly, this is amazing!”

The woman smiled sweetly at him. She still hadn’t sat down, preoccupied with fussing over the little kids and serving the adults as she always did. “Well it will seem like nothing next to the Hogwarts feast, so do enjoy it while you can,”

The Weasleys collective objected against that statement, loudly as always. Teddy had to agree with them, he doubted that anything could compete with Aunt Molly’s cooking (Andromeda would disown him if he ever said as much).

Teddy watched the scene unfold before something else caught his eye. Victoire was actively avoiding him and it was really throwing him off. She hadn’t even hugged him, and whenever he tried to talk to her since he got there she’d either run off to another place or he’d be dragged by somebody else.

“So Ted,” Teddy turned his head to Neville, whom was sitting next to Luna on the enlarged table. “What subject are you most excited about? And don’t worry, I will not take offense if you don’t say herbology,” Teddy giggled, rather relieved. While he was excited to have Neville as his teacher, the subject didn’t exactly entice him.

“Um...I suppose Defense Against the Dark Arts?”

“That’s my boy!” Harry declared proudly with a grin. “I’ll bet he’ll become an Auror like his Godfather!”

“And his uncle,” Ron added.

“Now you two, stop putting pressure on the boy before he even boards the train,” Ginny rolled her eyes.

“Honestly,” Said Hermione. “There are so many jobs at the ministry he could choose from, you two make it sound like the Auror Department is the only one there is!” For someone so intelligent, Hermione seemed to have missed the point entirely.

“Exactly!” Percy chimed in to the conversation. “There’s the department of law enforcement, International affairs, department of mysteries-”

“You must have lost it if you think Teddy of all people would go off to a boring job at the ministry like you,” George scoffed loudly. “He takes after his superior uncle of course, don’t you Ted?” 

Teddy didn’t need to respond to that, as chaos had already ensued at the table. Suddenly nobody was paying him any mind, too wrapped up in their bickering to realize he hadn’t answered any of them, which was fine for him, he didn’t want to set off a chain reaction by saying the wrong thing.

He chanced another look a Victoire, but realized her seat was suddenly empty. He raised an eyebrow, looking between the adults who were still arguing and slipping away unnoticed. 

It didn’t take him too long to find her, after all Teddy knew better than anyone else where Victorie liked to wander off. Sure enough, there she was, sulking as she sat down on the garden, resting her chin on her knees and letting her blonde hair fly freely with the wind.

Teddy sighed, walking up to her with a lingering feeling of dread bubbling inside his abdomen. He tried to keep what Harry said in mind, but he couldn’t understand why he was suddenly so intimidated by her. It was just Victoire, his Victoire. He knew the girl like the back of his hand, this really shouldn’t be so hard.

The scowl she offered at his arrival didn’t help at all though.

He sat beside her, in a sort of silence that was most unusual for the pair. He didn’t know what exactly to say, it didn’t seem that difficult in his head. “So…” Victoire didn’t even look at him, her blue eyes glaring at the grass she was ripping off with her hands. “What’s got your wand in a knot?” Immediately he knew it wasn’t the right thing to say, as Victoire slowly turned her steely gaze at him. 

“Wand?!” She scoffed humorlessly. “What wand are you talking about? You’re the only one with a wand here.” She huffed indignantly and continued to ruin Molly’s garden. 

“What’s going on?” He asked. Her light brows furrowed even deeper as her nostrils flared. Teddy didn’t know where this was going, but he had that feeling that he was about to get hit. “Vic seriously, you’re not making any sense,”

“Why do you even care?!” She snapped, taking him off guard at the sudden outburst. “Tomorrow you’ll be boarding off to stupid Hogwarts anyway! What difference will it make?!” She stood up abruptly stomping her way back to the Burrow.

“So this is what it’s really about, huh?” Teddy couldn’t help the smirk that formed on his face.

“What?!” She turned to him, her eyes piercing. It was almost amusing to see Victoire so heated. “And what the heck are you smiling at?!”

“You’re gonna miss me that much, Vic?” The girl’s cheek went pink and her lips pursed as she walked back towards him whacked his arm. “Ow! What was that for?”

“For being a great prat!” She all but screamed, making Teddy wince. “Who says I’m going to miss you?! Why should I, if you’re clearly not going to miss me!”

“What?!” Teddy rubbed his arm, feeling frustrated. “What do you mean Victoire?!”

“You’re gonna go off and get sorted into some house and make all these new friends and then you’re gonna forget all about me!” she blurted out shrilly, her face getting redder by the second. Teddy didn’t know whether it was from embarrassment or from anger, but he stood up to face her. 

“Vic-”

“I’m gonna be all alone now,” She mumbled, more to herself than to Teddy. He saw her shoulders slump and her arms cross around her chest. Teddy felt his heart clench. He tried to get closer to her but she stepped backwards, stamping her feet on the ground.

“Vic, come on now,” He said carefully. “You won’t be all alone. What about everyone else? They’ll still be here-”

“They’re all babies Teddy!” She said as if it was the most obvious thing on the planet. “I’m going to be stuck with babies for the next nine months, and then by the time I get to Hogwarts you won’t even want to be my friend anymore!”

For a moment, Teddy couldn’t say anything. He couldn’t phantom why in Merlin’s name she would ever think that. “Vic,” She didn’t back away when he tried to approach her once again. “You know that’s absolute rubbish.”

Her deepening frown and the way she refused to meet Teddy’s eyes told him otherwise. He didn’t know what was worse - seeing her like this or knowing he was the reason for it. 

Now Teddy understood. His stomach twisted with realization, because it really was his own fault.

Vic had been there when he got the letter. It was a rainy day, and they were having a very serious match of Exploding Snaps before the mail arrived. She had seemed as excited as him, almost causing Andromeda to drop the pot she had been cooking supper in with her shriek.

Teddy should have realized. Her enthusiasm seemed to dwindle with every week that passed, whenever Teddy would mention what house he might end up in or the friends he’d make her mood would sour and Teddy had not even spared a thought to what she might have felt. “I’m sorry,” 

“No you’re not!” Their eyes finally met, and Teddy could see how moist hers were. “You’re just saying that!”

Teddy was well used to Victoire’s stubbornness, but it didn’t make him any less frustrated, and the fact that he really shouldn’t be was all the more aggravating. He knew how she got when she was upset; it had been this way ever since they were little, and with a sinking feeling, he came to the conclusion that this was probably the most upset she had ever been. 

The longest amount of time the two had been apart was when she went to visit her french relatives, but they made sure to talk with each other over the floo at least once a week, and the first thing she demanded when they got back was a weekend-long sleepover with her very best friend. That wouldn’t be possible anymore and there was nothing either of them could do to change that.

Teddy drew a breath, feeling incredibly helpless. “I really am sorry,” He repeated. “I’m sorry for being insensitive, and I’m sorry you can’t come with me.” Her expression softened slightly. “I really, really wish you could.”

There was a beat of silence in which neither of them knew what to say. Victoire didn’t seem as angry, but still very much dejected. She shook her head, heaving out a sigh. “There’s nothing we can’t do about it, I don’t think Hogwarts can be tricked by ageing potions,” Teddy chuckled slightly.

“Probably not,” Teddy said. “But well... I’ll be home for christmas and easter, I’ll write to you-”

“It won’t be the same.” She stated.

“Yes I know,” He sighed, scratching the back of his head. “But it’s only a year, isn’t it? Soon enough you’ll be boarding that train too, and then we’ll both be at Hogwarts. Together.” She nodded, and Teddy felt a bit better when she offered him a small smile. “And Vic?” She looked at him. “I might make some new friends, but that really isn’t going to change anything...after all, we’re not really friends, are we?”

Her eyes widened as her face turned into an indignant scowl, but Teddy was expecting it this time. “You-”

“We’re family,” He concluded before she got worked up again. The girl froze, looking at him with the same wide eyes, though her scowl was gone. “There’s no need for you to get all jealous, no one can replace you.” 

Her mouth was slightly agape, and Teddy could tell she was trying her damndest not to cry. She had always tried to repress her rather girly side, probably in an attempt to rebel against her mother, but the shaky smile she offered him was all he needed. “You...You really are a prat, d’you know that?”

“So you keep telling me.” She breathed out a laugh and Teddy felt his insides warm slightly, knowing they were on good terms again.

“I’m sorry for acting like an old hag,” She avoided his gaze once again, instead focusing on her fidgeting hands. “I just...I dunno…”

“Hey, it’s fine.” He walked up to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. “We should head back before their squabble ends,” She giggled and nodded. They walked back into the dining room just as Luna argued that Teddy would be a great Magizoologist, considering his great interest in nargles.

He didn’t even noticed Harry’s knowing smirk as he continued eating the food on his plate.

o0o

“Teddy dear, I’ve made tea.” Andromeda poked her head into his room as he was deciding what clothes he’d wear the next day. “Fancy some?”

“Sure gran,” He said, trying to decide between a plaid shirt or polo. “I’ll be down in a second.” He heard his grandmother make her way downstairs. He looked at his wardrobe for another moment before deciding on the plaid shirt. He wouldn’t want to give off the impression of being too posh. Andromeda always said that first impressions last a lifetime.

After he had folded his shirt over the trousers he had already picked out he made his way to the sitting room where they usually had tea. It wasn’t quite cold enough for the fireplace to be lit, but Teddy assumed Andromeda had done it for tradition’s sake. He didn’t mind it at all.

“I made you hot chocolate actually,” Andromeda said as he sat down. “I know you’re not fond of chamomile.” Again, Teddy didn’t mind at all. He smiled at her gratefully before taking his cup and relishing the creamy goodness. Only his gran could make it just the way he liked it. He was definitely going to miss that. 

He was going to miss a lot of things, now that he thought about it.

Suddenly that weird twinge on his chest that he had felt when he had talked to Victoire made a reappearance. 

“How are you feeling?” The woman asked him. That was a fairly good question. How was he feeling exactly? Excited? Anxious? Exhilarated? Apprehensive?

Terrified?

“I’m feeling…” He sighed, taking another sip of the sweet beverage. “All over the place.”

She hummed a laugh into her teacup, smiling kindly at him as she leaned into the armrest. “That sounds about right. Everyone gets quite overwhelmed before going to Hogwarts.”

“Were you?” He asked, though he already knew the answer. Andromeda barely talked about her Hogwarts days, and whenever she did it was only to talk about herself and his grandfather, but Teddy knew she couldn’t be any younger than fifteen before even considering giving Teddy Senior the time of day.

“Me? Oh, I was absolutely petrified,” Teddy’s eyes widened a bit in wonder. 

“Really? Why?”

“Well...you see Teddy…” Her voice drawled on in the same way it did when Teddy crossed a line, and he frowned, imagining she’d say he was too young to hear that particular story. Surprisingly, she went on. “Being part of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black...well, let’s just say I had a lot to live up to,” She said scathingly.

“Oh,” She seemed rather uncomfortable, and Teddy regretted asking anything at all. Asking was something he regretted often, not because he was berated if he did so, but because he had realized long ago that most questions just hurt people the people around him, and he hated that.

“I was terrified I wouldn’t make it to Slytherin,” Andromeda went on and Teddy listened to every bit of it. “Of course I did in the end, but then there was this pressure to make acquaintances with people my parents deemed...acceptable,” Pure-blooded Teddy thought. “And it took me quite a long time to even make any friends at all, considering the fact that Bella-” Andromeda cleared her throat. “Bellatrix wasn’t held in high esteem by most of our peers, and well, I was never too social anyway. Your mum got that from Ted’s side of the family,” At that Teddy perked up a bit.

“And how was mum? Was she nervous too?” Teddy swiftly changed the topic of the conversation and Andromeda smiled. She didn’t like talking about herself very much, but she could go hours and hours talking about his mum. 

“Nymphadora was a wreck,” She looked amused. “She tried not to show it, but her hair was a wonderful shade of neon green all day,” 

“Was it really?” Teddy subconsciously ran a hand through his hair. It was his usual shade of teal at the moment.

“Yes. That in itself was the cause of most of her distress, she didn’t want kids to think she was-” Andromeda stopped herself, taking a sip of tea.

“A freak?” Teddy didn’t know why he had said that, but it just rolled off his tongue. Harry hated that word, and he very much disliked it too, but it was the only one that seemed appropriate. Teddy tried not to think about his hair too much because it was just made him anxious. He wouldn’t be able to wear his beanie all the time at Hogwarts, and even if could still wear pointed hats and the hood of his robes, he’d still have to show his hair eventually. The sorting, for example.

Merlin, the sorting.

He felt goosebumps riddle the nape of his neck and frowned at his reflection in the silver tray. His hair was now white.

“Is something the matter?” He had the impression she already knew, she always did. He told her anyway.

“Well, it’s not like I’d feel too comfortable if my hair changes every time I sneeze.” He mumbled, shrugging. “I tried to get better at keeping it in check, I really did but-”

“Teddy, come here,” Andromeda patted her thighs and Teddy was slightly surprised, though he accepted his grandma's coddling anyway. He laid his head on her lap, letting his legs dangle from the armrest. This used to be more comfortable, but he still sighed in contempt when she started running her fingers through his scalp.

“Ted, you can’t control it,” He said for what must have been the umpteenth time, but Teddy still wasn’t quite reassured. “It comes with age. You know that.”

“I know gramma…” He huffed slightly. “I just don’t want people...I don’t want everyone to keep staring...or asking if I can turn my arms into carrots or something,” 

He heard the chuckle in her voice.”But don’t ever fret dear. You know, your mum was probably the most popular girl in her year. I wouldn’t doubt that this played a rather big part as to why.”

“Yes well, Uncle Bill told me,” He fidgeted with the straps of his hoodie. “But my mum was cool. Everyone says that. She made it look cool. I’m just...sort of awkward.”

“Whatever gave you that idea?!” He just shrugged. Andromeda furrowed her eyebrows, shaking her head. “You’re not awkward! You’re the most handsome young man-”

“Gran, it doesn’t really count when you say it.”

“And why is that, may I ask?”

“Because,” He let out a stream of air through his nose. “You’re my gramma, you’re supposed to say stuff like that.” She sniffed indignantly, but didn’t argue on that. She told him to sit up though, and he groaned slightly, as he had just started to melt into Andromeda’s warmth.

“Teddy you listen here, and you listen well.” She said, holding both of Teddy’s shoulder and looking him dead in the eyes in a way that almost made him think he was in for a scolding. “You know what I see when I look at you?” Teddy remained silent, so she went on. “I see a kind, clever, dashing, unique young lad, and I am so proud of you,” He couldn’t really understand why, since he couldn’t remember achieving anything too remarkable in his eleven years.

“And...Do you even realize how extraordinary your ability is?! It doesn’t matter if you can control it yet or not, No one has what you have! There are spells, potions, all sorts of things that try to replicate what you can do naturally, do you have any idea how utterly astonishing that is?!” Teddy noticed the grip on his shoulders tightening and he saw her shoulders tense up, then relax. Her face still looked troubled though, almost as if she was slightly in pain. Teddy was extremely confused.

“I-um…” Andromeda bit her lip, closing her eyes for maybe a moment too long. “Gran, are you alright?” Andromeda let go of his left shoulder, using that hand to brush Teddy’s hair out of his face as she nodded.

“You don’t have to change a thing about yourself to fit in other people’s boxes. You are perfect the way you are, do you understand that?” Teddy nodded with uncertainty. “You are perfect and...and so loved Teddy! Me, Harry, the Weasleys...we all love you so much…” Her voice broke in the middle, and Teddy was almost startled to see her eyes actually shining. 

The woman rarely cried, Teddy had to strain his memory to remember the last time she had done so. This whole speech was so out of character that it felt alarming, to say the least, Andromeda was never too much of a wordy person.

He took her hand into his because it just felt right in the moment. She smiled shakily at him, and cupped his cheek with the other. “Kids are curious Teddy, and not at all courteous. People are going to stare. There’s nothing you can do about it, other than embrace it and be confident.” She pulled him into her arms, and immediately he was taken over by the scent of her flowery perfume and how heavenly her fingers felt against his head. “Remember what I’m telling you, and if you get overwhelmed remember you grandma is here. Always.” 

Andromeda was never quite this warm. Not as much as Molly or Ginny, or even Harry. She showed her affection through different ways, Teddy knew that, which was why this was all the more jarring to him. He accepted the hug though, because he rather liked this kind of contact and could be quite clingy. That was what she had said anyway.

Teddy realized that maybe she needed this more than himself though, when he felt her body heave suddenly with a sharp intake of breath. He really didn’t know where all of this had come from, but for some reason he was quite happy it did. 

Teddy took advantage of this embrace for all it was worth because after tomorrow, he didn’t know when would be the next time he was getting one of those, nor did he know when he’d taste her hot chocolate, or eat Aunt Molly’s pot roast. He didn’t know when Harry would teach him tricks on his old broom again. He’d miss most of the kid’s birthdays, and he’d probably not be there to welcome the two new additions to the clan later that year.

He wouldn’t nick brooms from the broom shed at the Burrow with Victoire, much less hear her complain endlessly about her mother and siblings.

Teddy’s stomach ached slightly.

Andromeda tightened her arms around him and the boy buried his face into her chest, feeling quite the annoying knot forming on his throat.


	2. House Pride

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Guess what? He's a Pufflehuff

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just a quick note: I know that by the time that Teddy goes to Hogwarts the sorting isn't a secret anymore, I'm aware, but I forgot and couldn't be bothered to change it. Don't come for me, what's canon anyway?

"You've packed everything, haven't you?"

"Yes, Gran,"

"You haven't forgotten anything?"

"No Gran,"

"Are you quite sure?"

"I'm sure, Gran." In reality, Teddy wasn't, but even if he had left something behind it's not like they could quickly get back home and fetch it. They were already at the station, they had already gone through the barrier, the train was already billowing with smoke and Teddy already felt sick to his stomach.

"Let the boy breath, Andy," Ginny chuckled with an amused smile on her face as Andromeda let out out a soft sigh.

"Alright then," She smartened the collar of his shirt for what felt like the hundredth time. "Where's your wand?" Teddy retrieved it from his pocket to show it to her. "Be careful! Do not sit on it, you don't want your buttocks to catch on fire-"

"Gran…" Teddy had to keep himself from groaning as Victoire giggled behind her mouth. She had come to see him off, along with Ginny, Harry and of course, Andromeda.

Teddy's palms felt uncomfortably sweaty, and his heartbeat more rapidly than he'd like. It really was happening. His whole life so far had led up to this moment and yet he felt weirdly numb, save for ever-present nausea that weighed his stomach.

He felt Harry's hand on his shoulder and tried to smile at his godfather, but it felt more like a grimace than anything. He squeezed him and offered that warm grin that was almost reassuring. "Alright?"

He gulped rather thickly. "Yeah," He nodded rather uncertainly and sighed. "All good." Just then the train whistled loudly, telling everyone departure would be in less than five minutes.

"You should go soon, the carriages are probably packed by now," Harry said and Teddy could only nod, feeling an overwhelming wave of anxiety pass through him, sure that his hair had morphed into all the colours of the rainbow by now under his beanie.

Andromeda lowered herself to his height and engulfed the boy into a hug even tighter than those of Molly's, but Teddy didn't miss a beat before returning it. "You'll be good, won't you?"

"I will," He mumbled into the crook of her neck. She put him at an arm's length and examined his face, her stern look not holding any force at all.

"Behave. Listen to your professors and I swear on Merlin Edward, if I get one letter complaining about your behaviour-"

"I know, you've only told me a thousand times," She huffed, but beamed nonetheless, pinching his cheek.

"Cheeky." Teddy could tell she was on the verge of tears, and for once she didn't try to hide them. Her eyebrows furrowed and Teddy held the hand that was still caressing his face into his hands. Andromeda closed her eyes for a moment, giving it a squeeze. "You'll be safe, won't you?"

"Of course Gran,"

"You're everything I have," She stated, her voice taking a serious tone that Teddy wasn't exactly used to. Not scolding, not stern. Just sincere. "Please, take care of yourself."

"Gramma, I'm only going to school," He said lightly but knew what she meant. Hogwarts had long lost its reputation as an impenetrable safe haven. Of course, he wasn't expecting to fight a war anytime soon, but he could understand his grandmother's wariness.

"He will be fine," Ginny reassured, reaching out to give Teddy an embrace, her baby bump pressing against him. "He's got a good head on his shoulders if I've ever seen one." the woman kissed his forehead. "Surely he won't go looking for trouble," He didn't miss the pointed look she had thrown her way.

"I wouldn't be too sure about that," Harry said with an amused grin. "He is the son of a marauder after all,"

"And the oh so notorious Nymphadora Tonks," Andromeda shook her head, seeming almost exhausted at the prospect of what was to come. "Being troublesome is a part of his genetic makeup." Teddy snorted at that. It held some truth, but he had enough sense to not go looking for trouble if he could help it. Maybe. Probably.

"You'll write, won't you?" Victoire, who had been exceptionally quiet until that point finally spoke up. "Every day?"

"Well, I can't promise every day but…" She frowned at him. "But I'll write as often as I can. I'll tell you everything." He said quickly, but Victoire's crestfallen expression didn't change.

"Do you promise?"

"Of course," Teddy noticed the adults had taken a step back, watching the interaction with interest and felt his face grow slightly hot. Victoire held up her hand towards him and he gave her a confused look before her pinky was up in the air.

"Pinky swear it." Teddy sighed, recognizing the old tradition from when they were younger.

"Vic, is this really necessary-"

"Yes it is!" She said loudly with that finality tone that made Teddy know he shouldn't go against her right at that moment. "Swear on it!"

"Okay okay! Merlin…" Teddy extended his own pinky and wrapped it around the girl's smaller one with a squeeze. "Happy now?" Victoire didn't get a chance to respond, as the train whistled again just as she had opened her mouth.

"Three minutes, Ted," Harry said. "Time to go."

"Right," He looked down at Victoire and was slightly shocked at seeing her eyes moisten considerably. Her nose turned a deep shade of red and her lower lip quivered dangerously as she avoided looking at him. "Oh, no...C'mon Vic are you actually crying?" She glared at him, whacking his arm with a sniffle. He didn't have time to complain though, as she soon jumped on his arms so suddenly that he almost fell backwards and began squeezing the life out of him with much more force than was expected from the little girl.

"Shut up you big -hic- git!" She buried her face at the crook of his neck and Teddy could feel his shoulder getting slightly wet. "You great -hic- prat!"

"Yeah yeah, I love you too," He hugged her back, ignoring the way his stomach tightened and patting her shoulder. "I'll be back soon and you'll be able to bully me as much as you please," She pulled away from him, smirking despite the tears she was trying to wipe away.

"Can't wait,"

After several kisses on the cheek, tight hugs and a handful of tears from Victoire and Andromeda, Teddy finally boarded the train just as it started moving, pushing his trunk along and trying to find a compartment that wasn't filled to the brim with people.

He tried to keep an eye out for Kali, but couldn't seem to find her until passing by a compartment that he almost missed, had it not been for the rather shrill scream that came from it.

"Teddy!" He whipped his head around and his startled expression soon turned into a grin when he saw Kali emerged from the compartment. She gave him a hug, which again was unexpected, but he didn't really mind at all. "Oh, I'm so glad to see you! I tried looking for you at the station but I couldn't find you anywhere and I started to freak out because I didn't want to be all alone at the ride and these people here are all sort of strange aren't they?" She said all that in a single breath and Teddy, though overwhelmed, was slightly impressed.

"Er, I'm here now!"

"Come on!"She helped him push his trunks into the compartment and they settled it next to hers. "So, how you been? Oh, I could barely get any sleep this week, I was so excited! Well, I am. Nervous too," Teddy could see that. The girl seemed to ready to burst at any second. Her abnormally long hair that today was kept neatly into a plaid that reached almost to her bottom seemed to bounce in sync with her body. Teddy also noticed the way she kept pushing her glasses up her nose even though they weren't askew.

"I've been excited too," Though not nearly as much as her, Teddy thought. "My family threw together a surprise going-away party for me yesterday, so that was quite nice, but yeah, if I have to admit I'm pretty nervous too."

"Oh, that's so nice of them!" She gushed. "I didn't get a party, but my parents got me an owl! Can you believe it? An owl for a pet! This is absolutely mad…"She muttered, getting on top of one of the cushioned seats and retrieving the cage from the shelf near the window. For a moment Teddy was wary, thinking she might fall, but the girl expertly managed to jump into a sitting position holding the cage tightly.

Teddy heard the flapping of tiny wings and saw a little tawny owl zooming around its cage not unlike a snitch, or its owner. She stopped for a moment, her big amber eyes examining Teddy before it resumed the erratic flying.

"Her name is Hermy," Said Kali, looking fondly at her pet.

"Hermy?" Teddy questioned as he sat down at the seat opposite to her. "Where did you get that from?"

"Oh you know Hermes," She said, not taking her eyes away from the owl. "But she's too cute for Hermes, so Hermy seemed to fit quite nicely." If Teddy was honest, he didn't know what Hermes was, but he decided not to say anything. "She's still a baby though so the lady at the shop said it's going to take a while for her to get the hang of sending letters properly and stuff, but I'm sure she'll learn quickly since she'll be surrounded by owls. Did you know Hogwarts has a whole owlery?! Oh, I read the book you told me about by the way! It was fascinating!"

"You mean Hogwarts a History?" He asked eagerly because very much knew a whole lot about that book. She nodded enthusiastically.

"It's brilliant, I felt like I was reading a fantasy book! But what really caught my attention were the houses! Which one do you think you'll end up in anyway? I think I'll end up in Gryffindor, even though I'm not particularly courageous or anything. I feel like I'm too dim for Ravenclaw and Slytherin seems a bit dark, doesn't it? I dunno, I wouldn't want to be sleeping in the dungeons anyway. I suppose ending up in Hufflepuff must be nice too though, did you know it's right next to the kitchens?"

Teddy took a minute to process everything she had said to him, but the moment he was about to respond they heard a very loud argument just outside the door. He and Kali shared a raised eyebrow before straining their ears in an attempt to figure out what was going on.

"I'm not about to let you two embarrassing little twits come to my compartment and sit with my friends. Piss off and go find your own!"

"If we had any d'you think we'd be wanting to sit with you pricks?!"

"Funny, I don't remember this being my problem,"

"You promised mum and dad you would sit with us!"

"I lied Olivia, ever heard of that?!"

"You are such a-" The girl, who was apparently called Olivia, never got a chance to tell what exactly the guy was, because right at that instant the door to their compartment flew open, taking both Teddy and Kali aback. There were three people, a teen accompanied by a boy and a girl that looked about their age. They all seemed rather cross, the tall guy was scowling, the girl looked positively livid and the boy glared at the eldest one, their resemblance was uncanny.

"Oi, you two are firsties right?!" The teen asked rather rudely. Kali and Teddy shared a look before nodding slowly, not knowing how else to respond. "Good," He shoved the two kids inside, the boy almost toppling over the trunks. "See? Now you got friends, it ain't that hard."

"You are such a damn-"

"Nuh-huh, mind your language Ollie," The teen smirked at the boy's narrowed eyes. "Bye now, see you at Hogwarts." And with that he left, closing the door behind him and leaving the four of them in rather awkward silence.

"Er…" The girl was the first to speak up. She looked flustered, placing a strand of curly hair behind her ear and glancing at the both of them and then at the other boy helplessly. "Sorry about the intrusion, our brother is the biggest prat in the planet," Teddy snorted.

"So um...can we stay or…"

"Of course you can!" Kali spoke for both of them with the same vigour as before. "Go on, take a seat! We don't mind!" The siblings seemed slightly taken aback by the sudden cheerfulness and shared a look, shrugging as they sat down, the girl beside Teddy and the boy besides Kali.

"Thanks. I'm Oliver, this is my sister Olivia and that big ol' toerag you just had the displeasure to meet is our brother Lucas. He's a right foul git if you haven't figured it out yet," Teddy laughed, and soon realized that their names weren't the only thing similar about them. They had the same lanky build, the same brown skin, the same hazel eyes and the same curly hair, though Oliver's was slightly more coily and was cut short while Olivia's had tighter ringlets that went down to the middle of her spine. Undoubtedly, they were twins.

He also noticed that they looked very polished. Both of them wore shiny shoes and Teddy was glad he had decided to forgo the polo shirt because Oliver was wearing one of those while Olivia had on a dress that seemed a bit too fancy for the occasion.

"I'm Teddy," He said, accepting the rather formal handshake from the girl. "Nice to meet you," The boy merely nodded at him with a smile.

"My pleasure," She said, turning to Kali. "And you are?"

"Oh! I'm Mahakali, Kali for short! Hi, nice to meet you!" She shook their hands eagerly. "So, we were talking about the houses before you guys came in. I think I might end up being a Gryffindor, but I'm not quite sure, now Teddy here…" She looked at him with a puzzled expression. "Wait...you never got to say, did you?"

"No," He answered, thinking about his answer. "Uh...I'm not quite sure...I'd like to be a Gryffindor since most of my family's from there and they're very...loud and proud about it you know what I mean,"

"We sure do," Said Oliver through a sigh.

"But I dunno, I don't think I'm really the brave type. My mum and my granddad were Hufflepuffs though so I guess there's a big chance I might end up there. What about you two?"

"Definitely Ravenclaw," Said Olivia almost instantly.

"It's more about having to be in Ravenclaw than actually wanting to though," Oliver rolled his eyes, leaning his back against the wall and propping his feet up on the seat. "She's bound to get in anyway, I'm not too sure about myself."

"Oliver don't say that!" Olivia scolded.

"It's true! I don't really have the brains to show for it like you!" There was a sudden tension in the air and Teddy had the impression this was an argument they had had before.

"Well, it's not really that big of a deal is it?" Kali said, also noticing the tense expression on Oliver's face.

"Oh it very much is," He said. "In my family it is anyway. Everyone has been a Ravenclaw for generations on my father's side. My brother's a Ravenclaw too, so yeah, there's just a bit of pressure on our shoulders," He said sarcastically, but there was a rather bitter tone on his voice along with a grimace. Teddy could understand where he was coming from, house rivalry was still a thing, especially in old wizarding families, and while the Weasleys and Harry never really put any sort of pressure on him, the Gryffindor toys and apparel told him that it would be very much appreciated if he ended up there.

"Well I'm sure you'll be fine either way," Teddy said in an attempt to try and diffuse the tension. Oliver let out a noncommittal grunt but didn't say anything else.

"Anyway," Kali spoke up. "What classes are you most excited about? I think Charms must be great! Defense Against the Dark Arts also caught my interest but I don't even know what Dark Arts are or what exactly we're trying to defend against so I dunno, kinda scary, but Potions also seems fantastic and - Oh my God, Flying seems so exciting too! I mean, I think I'll be rubbish at it but who knows? Oh and Transfigurations! Imagine turning stuff into other stuff! Brilliant, absolutely fantastic!"

Watching the girl talk was fascinating to Teddy. His mind couldn't work that fast even if he tried.

"You really do talk a lot don't you?" Olivia deadpanned rather bluntly and Teddy raised an eyebrow, watching Kali turn a deep shade of red under her ebony skin. Her eyes widened slightly behind her already magnifying glasses and for the first time, he heard the girl stumble upon her words.

"Oh, uh...I-I guess I do…" Her big grin faltered a bit. "Sorry?"

"Bloody hell Olivia, can you not be rude?" Oliver spat at his sister. "Don't mind her Kali, you're fine."

"I didn't mean it as an offence!" She said defensively. "I was just stating a fact!"

"Yeah well, nobody wants to hear your facts right now," Oliver said annoyedly and his sister huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "But yeah, I think I'm most excited about Care of Magical Creatures, even though we only take that in the third year. I really like pets...speaking of which, is that a pygmy owl?" He turned his focus to Hermy who was still loudly bouncing up and down her cage.

"Nope! It's a baby tawny owl, her name is Hermy!" Oliver smiled at the owl, sticking his index finger inside the cage. Hermy stopped for a second, examining his finger with great interest before nipping at the tip lightly.

"Hermy?" Olivia questioned, leaning back on her seat while warily looking at the owl. "Don't you mean Hermes?"

"No, I mean Hermy." Kali said rather pointedly before turning her attention back to her owl, who was now perched up on Oliver's finger. "Aww, she likes you!" Hermy seemed to hoot in agreement and Oliver beamed.

Just then the door to their compartment was opened and Teddy grinned himself. An old woman pushing a trolley filled with snacks smiled kindly at them. "Anything from the trolley dears?" Teddy immediately searched through his pockets trying to find the money Gran and Harry had given to him, his stomach rumbling with only the sight of food. He simply did not have the appetite to eat a hefty breakfast, which was a rarity to him, but now he was positively famished.

He ordered two pumpkin pasties and a box of chocolate cauldrons. Olivia and Oliver helped themselves with some sweets as well and Kali excitedly bought a box of Bertie Bott's flavoured beans, stating that she had brought with her something to eat but she just loved jelly beans.

"You'd better be careful with those," He said warily, eyeing the box with some distrust. "When they say every flavour they really do mean every flavour."

"Oh please, are you scared of some jelly-beans?" She teased and he shrugged, taking a bite off one of the pumpkin pasties.

"I'm just warning you,"

"How bad can they be?"

"Well try one for yourself then," Oliver said with a knowing smirk. With a very smug look Kali picked a random one from the box and pooped it into her mouth, Teddy cringed inwardly when he saw the nasty colour it had.

"I don't know what you guys-" Kali stopped abruptly, and Teddy would be lying if he said he wasn't slightly amused by the way her face slowly fell, her mouth agape and her nose twisted. Well, he had to her so. He offered her the napkin that came with his pasty and she promptly spit the atrocious jelly-bean. "What in God's name-" She gasped, throwing the paper on the trash bin.

"I tried to warn you," Teddy said, not even trying to hide his chuckle.

"It was the nastiest thing I have ever put in my mouth," She said with a shudder, her face still on a grimace. "it tasted like...like…"

"Vomit?" Oliver inquired with a chuckle and the girl nodded miserably. "Gotta be careful with which one you choose."

"Ugh, I feel like I'm going to be sick,"

"Here, take one of these," Said Teddy, offering her one of his cauldrons. "It's just chocolate and marshmallow, can't go wrong." She thanked him and took a grateful bite off the chocolate.

"Well it was really obvious it was going to be a nasty flavour, wasn't it?" Said Olivia, who had been watching the whole scene with distaste.

"What do you mean it was obvious?!" Kali exclaimed through a mouthful with a incredulous look on her face. "Why would they have a candy tasted like vomit to begin with?! This should be illegal!"

"You're a muggle-born,"Olivia stated matter-of-factly. Teddy saw Kali gulp down the rest of her chocolate with narrowed eyes and he could almost feel the tension emanating from the girl.

"Yes I am!" She said, sounding rather affronted. "You've got a problem?"

"Why would I?" Olivia seemed to not notice the heat on her voice, instead observing Kali with intrigue, as if the girl spiked some sort of curiosity. Teddy and Oliver shared a look, both feeling rather uncomfortable with the sudden tension inside the compartment.

"Um, they're not all bad!" Oliver said suddenly, desperate to change the subject. "Every flavour also means good ones, here let me see," Kali handed him the box and he looked through the beans before retrieving a pink one. "Usually you can tell by the colour, but you can't trust it too much because there are flavours that are very similar, so smelling them can be a trick too," He took a sniff and grinned looking rather pleased as he took a bite off the bean. "See? Cotton candy."

"God, wizards are very strange folk huh? Well, I guess I'm a wizard too so I shouldn't be saying that. You think you can find strawberry for me? Oh, and grape! These are my favourite flavours! But is this some kind of game though? Why else would they have these horrendous flavours?" Kali went on with her babbling, forgetting completely about the strain that had happened only a few moments before.

The four of them engaged in conversation, even Olivia, albeit more quietly than the others, had chimed in every once in a while. Teddy felt like a fool for having worked himself up so much before boarding the train as he felt the bubbling anxiety dissipate as time passed.

oOo

"Oi, Teddy! Wake up, mate!" Teddy, who had not even realized he had fallen asleep to begin with, opened his bleary eyes to find Oliver shaking him awake. "Get your robes on, we're almost there." He noticed that night had already fallen in the countryside and he could hear the frantic movement throughout the train.

Teddy felt a jolt of excitement as he slipped his robes over his muggle clothes, feeling his hands shake as the train came to a halt. The four of them hopped out of the train, feeling themselves being carried by the wave of students eager to get to the castle and Kali had stuck to his inside in what he imagined was an attempt to not get lost in the sea of robes.

"Firs' years! Firs' year wi' me!" They heard a booming voice that Teddy instantly recognized as Hagrid's. Teddy had never met the man in person but he couldn't imagine that there were many people over eight feet tall on the Hogwarts grounds. "Don't worry 'bout your baggage, it will all be taken care for! Now get in a line!"

"Blimey! What an absolute unit!" Kali said in sheer amazement as they all got into a line. "I've never seen anyone so big! Or...Hairy as a matter of fact."

"He must be a half-giant!" Oliver, who was in front of him, stared at Hagrid with wide eyes and mouth slightly agape much like the rest of the first years.

"He's the Care of Magical Creatures teacher," Informed Teddy as they followed Hagrid through a narrow path.

"He is?!"

"Yep," Teddy felt a slight surge of pride at knowing something the other didn't. "My godfather says he's bloody brilliant too, though slightly off his rockers. I think he's also the grounds-" He was cut off by a series of collective gasps as Hogwarts came into view. Teddy was slightly stunned for a second. Everyone said that the first glimpse at the Hogwarts ground was somewhat magical in itself but Teddy never quite believed it until now.

From the edge of the lake where they were standing it still looked quite small, but it a magnificent sight. It was everything he had expected it to be but it was still hard to comprehend how absolutely marvellous the castle was. He still couldn't keep his eyes off the castle as the four of them clambered into one of the wooden boats floating on the lake. Even Kali was kept in stunned silence.

The boats began drifting towards the castle and Teddy could see he wasn't the only one getting slightly apprehensive. Oliver was biting his nails for all they were worth, Olivia ringed her robes and Kali was muttering something under her breath that Teddy couldn't make out. He tried to keep himself calm, but knowing that his future at Hogwarts and most likely the rest of his life would be defined in just a few minutes made him antsy.

Soon they were escorted inside the castle and Teddy felt the chill that was running up and down his spine be subsided as the coziness of the environment hugged him. He let out a breath, trying not to psych himself out too much, trying to assure himself that he'd be fine wherever he ended up.

"How are they gonna sort us?" Kali squeaked, seemingly quite freaked out herself. "Is it going to be a test or something?!"

"Oh Merlin I hope not," Said Oliver, looking rather ill. Olivia tutted, rolling her eyes.

"Don't be daft, of course it's not going to be a test! Half the people here are muggle-born and we're not required to read any of the textbooks beforehand."

"What about a personality test?" Said Teddy. "You don't need any prior knowledge of magic to do that," Olivia seemed thoughtful for a moment before shrugging.

"I suppose,"

The door opened suddenly and Teddy's face split into a grin when he saw a very familiar face. "Hello, may I have everyone's attention please?" The chatter inside the room died down instantly as Neville made himself known. "Good evening and welcome to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, I'm Professor Longbottom, the head of Gryffindor House and your Herbology teacher. Your sorting will begin in a few but in the meantime, I'd like to explain a few things,"

He went on to explain the concept of houses at length and a few rules. Kali seemed deeply interested in what he had to say, especially once he mentioned that your house was like your family. Oliver and Olivia shared a rather nervous look as Neville resumed his speech and beamed at the audience of first years. "Any questions?" When he was met with silence, he nodded. "Very well, I'll come and fetch you when we're ready." And with that, he left, but not before throwing a wink at Teddy's direction.

"Oh, d'you think we'll end up on the same house?" Kali asked him anxiously. "Because I really do like you and I think we could become great friends but what if we're in different houses and never get to see each other? I mean, I don't want to be with a bunch of complete strangers, not that we know each other that well anyway but I'd feel so awkward and-"

"Kali, relax," Teddy said reassuringly, putting a hand on the girl's shoulders. "We'll still get to be friends even if we're not in the same house. We'll see each other all the time and besides, different houses share classes together." The girl seemed reassured and let out a breath, nodding vehemently as if trying to convince herself it would be alright. Teddy was quite touched at that.

"There are very few people getting sorted, aren't there?" Oliver commented and for the first time, Teddy looked around at his peers. "I always imagined it'd be something like dozens of people getting sorted."

"Well, it only makes sense," Said Olivia, smartening her robes.

"What d'you mean?"

"We were all born between ninety-seven and ninety-eight, which was the peak of the war. A lot of people died, even children, so it's only logical that the population density of this generation of wizards would be significantly smaller." Teddy felt something shift at the pit of his stomach but didn't say anything. "I'm ready to bet that at least half of everyone here is a muggle-born. Probably a lot of orphans too." She said it so dismissively that Teddy felt rather tempted to walk out of their circle, but he didn't want to draw attention to himself.

"War?!" Kali's eyes bugged out as she looked at them. "There was a war?"

"Two actually,"

"What?!"

"It's complicated," Said Teddy with a grimace, desperate for a change of subject. "We shouldn't be talking about that right now,"

"Right. This is depressing," Oliver shuddered, shaking his head. "What's taking them so long anyway? This wait is killing me, I just want to be done with it,"

"Can't you pretend to be a little excited about the sorting?" Olivia huffed with a scolding tone not unlike Andromeda's.

"No Liv, I really can't." Oliver's mouth had gone into a thin line as he buried his hands inside the deep pockets of his robes, rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet in apprehension.

As if on cue the door was opened and Neville escorted all of them to the Great Hall. Teddy was pretty sure he could hear his heart beating inside of his ears as he looked at everything in pure awe. "Oh my God, Teddy!" He felt Kali tug on the sleeve of his robe. "Look at the ceiling!" He could clearly see the night sky and the stars that decorated it perfectly. The moon, which usually caused Teddy great distress, gave him some weird form a comfort, almost as if his parents were watching him somehow. He'd like to think they were.

"The ceiling is-"

"Enchanted, I know." Kali cut Olivia off rather harshly, but Teddy had no time to dwell on it. The fact that he was feeling hundreds of eyes staring at him didn't make him feel any less nervous. Professor McGonagall stood tall at the very centre of the staff table, and the sheer strictness her face gave off made Teddy feel a chill through his spine. She looked down at them behind the small glasses with an almost menacing look. Harry was definitely not lying when he said she was very stern.

Teddy looked at the other teachers and tried to search his memory for the names Harry had provided, but could only remember Flitwick, probably because he was the one that stood out the most, especially sitting next to Hagrid.

"Good evening, First years," She said with a small smile before moving on. "I am Professor McGonagall, your headmistress. Today you will be sorted into your Hogwarts houses. I trust Professor Longbottom has already gone through a few ground rules," Neville nodded politely to her. "So let's not wait any further." She gestured at Neville who stood up with a piece of parchment on his hands and only then did Teddy notice the small stool that stood in front of the teacher's table with a battered witch hat that looked as old as the school itself sitting above it.

His face twisted into confusion before the first girl "Anderson, Annalise" was called upfront. The little girl with a blonde ponytail seemed mortified to be the first, and Teddy didn't envy her at all as every single pair of eyes followed her as she took a seat on the stool. Neville gently put the hat over her head and after a beat of silence it bellowed "RAVENCLAW". The girl's face broke into a grin as the second table on the left cheered loudly. Teddy almost laughed at how simple the process was and how worked up he had gotten over nothing.

The ceremony went on. Three other people had been sorted into Ravenclaw, two identical twins girls had been sorted into Slytherin and a boy had been sorted into Gryffindor while the Hufflepuff table still remained silent.

Teddy looked to his side and saw Oliver's frown deepen with an almost painful grimace as the names were called. His face also seemed paler than it had looked on the train and Teddy could see his hands shaking. "You alright there mate?" He whispered, looking at the boy with worry. Sure, he knew he was nervous but his appearance seemed quite concerning. He shook his head, taking a deep, heavy breath.

" 'M not gonna make it to Ravenclaw…" He moaned pitifully, rubbing his forehead. "Merlin this is gonna be bloody awful…" He said more to himself than anything. Teddy thought about offering some reassuring words but just then. "Lupin, Edward" was called.

For a very brief moment he was rooted to the spot, almost dismissing the call because he never went by Edward, but then the engines inside his brain began working with a jolt and he hurried forward, feeling his own hands jitter slightly. He sat down on the stool and heard Neville clearing his throat, gesturing to Teddy's head.

"Oh, right," He said under his breath as he realized he still had his beanie on. Blushing with embarrassment he slowly pulled it off his head, hoping against hope itself that his hair was a natural colour. It seemed to be considering no one had reacted in any way and he breathed out a relieved sigh as the hat was put upon his head.

"Hm, interesting...very interesting indeed…" He heard a drawled voice inside his head that wasn't his own and was a bit caught off guard. "I see a lot of potential in you... A very bright mind, but I don't see you fitting well in Ravenclaw...It seems that you have a tendency to put others before yourself...and to act on emotion rather than mind so not a good fit for Slytherin either…" Teddy would be lying if he said he wasn't slightly relieved.

"Your selflessness is admirable, but it could also be dangerous...that said, I'm certain that your best fit is - HUFFLEPUFF!" The last part of the speech echoed throughout the room and Teddy grinned as the table on the far left finally broke into applause and loud cheers. Teddy couldn't stop smiling himself, very happy with the result and feeling his body rather shaky with excitement. He thought about his mum and his grandpa and how much he hoped they could see him right now and-

Teddy felt it coming as soon as Neville pulled the hat off his head. The hairs at the nape of his neck straightened as he felt a chill swim over his entire scalp. His hair had switched, at the worst time imaginable.

There was a collective gasp and seemingly all eyes inside the hall widened. The piercing stares making his face grow unbearably hot and he could only hope that his hair wouldn't turn an offending shade of pink, but the damage had already been done.

He was just about to shove his head back into the beanie when the Hufflepuff table burst with applause and cheers again, the loudest one yet. "We've got a metamorphmagus! A bloody metamorphmagus! Take that Gryffindors!" He heard someone yell and he almost passed out with sheer relief as he made his way to the table with a grin, sitting down with shaky legs and immediately being bombarded with questions and people eager to shake his hand.

"Ahem," The table instantly quieted down as Professor McGonagall offered them a reprimanding look. "I'm sure this is all rather exciting Hufflepuffs, but do settle down." Many of them nodded sheepishly and Teddy took this as an opportunity to catch a glance of himself through the reflection of a spoon. He cursed under his breath at the eye-watering shade of yellow that decorated his head.

Teddy decided to push it to the back of his head and focused his attention on Oliver decidedly ignoring the ogling from other students. His and Olivia's hands were intertwined as his body fidgeted. It seemed that Neville had called "Montgomery, Oliver" too soon. Olivia gave his hand a squeeze as he gulped, slowly making his way to the stool as though he was about to enter a lion's cage.

He looked at the Ravenclaw table with longing for a moment before staring straight ahead, gripping the seat with white knuckles. A few agonizing moments later the hat yelled "HUFFLEPUFF" with vigour and Oliver's posture slumped for a second before he slapped a smile on his face and walked towards the table. Teddy clapped loudly along with everyone and offered the boy a pat on his shoulder as he sat down beside him.

"You'll be alright," He said, but he wasn't so sure about that as he watched Oliver nod half-heartedly. Teddy could see the desperation in his eyes, as though he was dreading something awful.

"It's fine, I'm not even surprised-" Just then "Montgomery, Olivia" was called and Oliver buried his face into his hands. "And here we go…" He didn't even look up as the girl sat on the seat, but Teddy saw the worry glance she threw her brother's way before shutting her eyes close.

Her lips were pursed and her eyebrows quirked up and down, as though she was having an internal conversation with the hat. This was taking longer than any other sorting, and he could tell by the looks of the staff that this wasn't exactly normal.

"Merlin, what's taking it so long?" Oliver whispered as he looked at his sister with apprehension. Teddy shrugged and finally, after about five minutes the hat announced that Olivia would be the next Hufflepuff. Oliver's eyes almost bulged out of its sockets and Teddy could see that from the Ravenclaw table Lucas was mimicking his brother's expression. Even his own mouth was slightly agape. Olivia seemed very pleased with herself as she walked over to the Hufflepuff table and by that point Teddy was beyond confused. She sat down beside her brother who stared at her stunned. "What the hell-"

"I guess the hat's full of surprises, isn't it?" She said nonchalantly. "Now stop looking so shocked, pay attention to the sorting." She demanded in a lighter tone than she had used earlier and beamed at her brother. This was all really weird as Olivia seemed to be a Ravenclaw through and through, not to mention the fact that she wanted to be one, but upon seeing the pleased look on Oliver's face as he looked back to the seat he couldn't bring himself to question her.

Not long after a blond boy named "Mungo, Archibald" was called and Oliver audibly groaned.

"I should have known this tosser would be starting this year," He grumbled under his breath and glaring after the hat had announced Ravenclaw and the boy very smugly made his way to the table.

"You know him?"

"Our dads are mates," Oliver sighed. "His family owns St. Mungo's."

"The hospital?!" Teddy asked incredulous. "Like the St. Mungo's?!" Oliver nodded, rolling his eyes. "He must be the richest kid in school!"

"Oh he is, and he knows it. His head is so big it's a wonder his neck hasn't cracked yet." Oliver huffed, crossing his arms over his chest. "He's just a pompous brat, at least we're not in the same house."

"Shush, you two!" Olivia hissed at them and both boys closed their mouths shut, returning their attention back to the sorting. Teddy caught a glimpse of Kali and saw very clearly how hard the antsy girl was trying to stay put.

"Riddle, Delphini" a very pale girl that seemed to far too small for an eleven-year-old ended up being a Hufflepuff after much consideration from the hat. Judging by the very serious look on her face, it didn't really seem like a good fit at all, but he guessed that the hat really was full of surprises. She bashfully sat on the far end of the table, and her stormy grey eyes pierced into Teddy's hazel when they met. He didn't know why but the stony look she offered unsettled him slightly and soon he turned his attention back to the sorting.

"Stewart, Esther" Was a Slytherin, "Treglown, Thomas" was a Gryffindor along with "Underwood, Michael" and "Villanova, Cinthya" ended up being a Ravenclaw.

"Wright, Mahakali" Had been the very last name to be called and Teddy let out a breath of his own as the girl finally made her way to the seat. Their eyes met and Teddy offered a reassuring thumbs-up as she smiled at him. Soon, Teddy's hopes had been answered as the hat set its decision on Hufflepuff and he was sure her smile could reach both ears. Teddy clapped loudly, feeling thrilled as she skipped towards the table happily and sat on the space he had made for her.

"This is brilliant!" Her voice sounded ecstatic and Teddy could almost feel her legs bouncing up and down. "Absolutely fantastic!"

Professor McGonagall rose from her seat, immediately silencing the buzz around the hall as the last student was sorted. "I'd like to congratulate our new students and wish a warm welcome to our school. Now, before we begin the feast I would also like to remind all of you that the forbidden forest is out of bounds to any students and Mr. Argus Filch, our caretaker, has strictly forbidden any and all Weasley Wizarding Wheezes products." Teddy groaned at that. "You can find a full list of prohibited possessions enclosed in his office. You would also do well to remember that no magic is allowed on the corridors.

Only the prefects and Head Boy and Girl are permitted out of their common room after curfew and strictly for the purpose of patrolling the hallways. First years, you will receive further information from your house prefects later in the evening. Now, let the feast begin!" She offered them a very brief smile before swishing her wand.

Teddy had never seen so much food at once. Roast chicken, pulled pork, steaks with all degrees of doneness and pies that he didn't even know existed. Feeling his mouth salivating, he began piling his plate with everything in sight. Andromeda would probably have a fit if she saw his lack of manners at the table but he couldn't' bring himself to care.

"Okay, I've been waiting to ask you this since you got sorted," Began Kali as Teddy bit into a turkey leg. "What's with your hair?! How did it change? Did you make it change? Is that some sort of magical shampoo?" The boy snorted, gulping down his mouthful before responding.

"I'm a metamorphmagus," He answered.

"A what?!"

"Metamorphmagus," He repeated. "I have the ability to change my physical appearance. Well...sort of,"

"Oh my goodness that's so cool!" She fixed her eyes on his still neon strands. "But how do you do that though? Can I learn this?"

"You can't become a metamorphmagus, you are born one," Said Olivia, looking up from her plate of pasta. "Isn't that right Teddy?"

"Yep. I'm no good at controlling it though, at least not yet. My hair is the only thing that I can change right now, and even that is mostly on its own accord." The twins nodded in understanding and Kali still seemed slightly puzzled.

"Is that why you're always wearing that beanie?" Oliver pointed to the piece of cloth that lay forgotten on Teddy's lap and he nodded.

"It changes too frequently and people love to stare," He rolled his eyes. "I always wear this when I go out."

"Oh, that explains it then," Kali sighed.

"Explain what?"

She smirked in a way that told him she was fighting against a fit of giggles. "I thought you were bald,"

Teddy laughed so hard he almost choked on a piece of broccoli.

oOo

The feast had been quite fun. Teddy had stuffed himself to his very limit, had made conversation with a bunch of his peers and almost fell off his seat laughing when Kali screeched at the House Ghosts ("His head is hanging on by a flap of skin Teddy! I have good reason to be freaked out").

They were escorted to the Hufflepuff basement and learned the password, a rhythmic tap on the wooden door, before entering the common room.

The cosiness of the place immediately made Teddy feel sleepy. Yellow and black decorated the room along with the honey-coloured wood and copper lamps. The many colourful plants offered a nice contrast and the glow from the already lit fire at the hearth gave everything a slightly orange glow. Teddy didn't exactly feel at home, but he could get used to it rather quickly.

"Can the first years come here for a minute?" A tall girl with thin dreadlocks and a "P" badge pinned to her robes called them as the rest of the students quickly made their way to the dorms. All five of them gathered around her and the boy that stood next to her with the same badge on his own robes. "Hello there! I'm Eleanor Pines," She offered them a kind, dimpled smile and shook their hands.

"Joseph Schwartz," The boy said, also shaking their hands. "We're the fifth year prefects."

"We hope you're happy to join our house!" Eleanor said in a cheerful tone. "I know we have a…" She hesitated for a moment. "...reputation, but you'll soon find that we're like a big family here. Everyone helps each other out, we take camaraderie very seriously here."

"Reputation?" Kali asked.

"Er, nothing to worry about!" Eleanor said hurriedly. "Anyway, we just want to let you know that you can come to us for anything, okay? It's our job to look after you lot." Teddy nodded along with the others, although he didn't particularly feel that he needed to be looked after.

"Also, some stuff you should know," Said Joseph, sounding considerably less enthusiastic than Eleanor. "First thing's first: boys are not allowed on the girl's dormitory," He gave both Teddy and Oliver a cheeky look. "It's charmed, so don't even try. Secondly: Please keep up the Hufflepuff spirit and don't be prats to other people. Seriously, don't be that Hufflepuff, it's not a good look."

"Joseph," Eleanor gave him a pointed look and Joseph merely shrugged.

"I said what I said."

She huffed, rolling her eyes at him and turning her attention back to the kids. "What he means is that bullying is extremely frowned upon anywhere, but here especially. We Hufflepuffs take pride in being the most tolerant, most kind house and we do not tolerate any form of discrimination, especially between ourselves."

"Also, if we catch you guys acting up we will have to dock off points from you so yeah, be nice." Joseph seemed rather bored with the whole ordeal, and Teddy noticed that it seemed to irritate Eleanor slightly. "Over there is our bulletin board. You can pin reminders, notes, whatever you like. Some people write love letters when they feel particularly inspired," He smirked at them. "And that's pretty much it. Any questions?"

They all shook their heads. "Alright then, If you lot need anything else you know where to find us." He stifled a yawn behind his hand. "Well, I'm off to bed. Sleep tight," With a wave, he made his way to the dorms. Eleanor sighed, shaking her head slightly.

"Don't mind him," She said to them. "But I do hope you all have a nice first day tomorrow!" She grinned at them warmly. "I'll see you around then, goodnight," And with that, she strode off to her dormitory.

"Well, they seem nice enough, don't they?" Wondered Oliver out loud. "Though that girl seemed too eager to babysit us if you ask me."

"Agreed," Said Teddy.

"Well the heads of houses can't really be too bothered with us, can they? I suppose part of the prefects' job is to make sure the first years aren't going in blind," Rationalized Olivia. Kali had wandered towards the bulletin board with interest and the small girl who Teddy remembered was called Delphini made her way to the dormitory without saying a word.

"I guess but still, I don't appreciate being treated like a kid,"

"What are you talking about? You literally are a kid!" Teddy didn't pay much attention to the twin's bickering as he watched Delphini's retreating back climb up the stairs. Why wouldn't she stay with them for a while? He guessed he shouldn't think too deeply into it, after all, they were exhausted.

"D'you think she's a bit rude?" Kali said in a hushed voice, taking his attention back from the staircase.

"Huh?"

"That Delphini girl," She shrugged, sitting down roughly on the sofa in the centre of the room. "I dunno, it's just us five here, isn't it? She could have at least stayed a while longer and chat up a bit? I don't wanna be mean or anything but it wouldn't kill her, would it?"

"Maybe she's just shy?" Teddy offered, sitting down besides Kali and almost sighing in content at how comfortable the piece of furniture was.

"She may just be an introvert," Olivia said dismissively. "I guess it may be a bit hard for you to comprehend."

Kali furrowed her eyebrows, narrowing her eyes at the girl in front of her. "And what is that supposed to mean?"

Olivia opened her mouth to respond but Oliver interrupted her. "Merlin, I'm truly spent," He punctuated that with a yawn. "I think I'm off to bed, you coming, Ted?"

"Uh - Sure!" Teddy found Oliver's ability to prevent conflict before it even happened quite incredible. He stood up, bidding the girls goodnight and heading towards their dormitory. The same colour pattern and decoration adorned the room and the two four-poster bed that stood opposite to each other seemed so welcoming that Teddy just now realized how tired he truly felt.

Oliver wasted no time before throwing himself at the bed nearest to him, glancing around the room with a curious look. "You know what's weird?" Teddy looked at him expectantly. "I know we were the only boys sorted into Hufflepuff, but I always assumed I'd share a room with five other blokes. I dunno, it feels kinda empty in here."

Teddy quirked up an eyebrow. "Yeah, I guess I thought so too, now that you've mentioned." He said as he climbed up the other bed. "But I'm not complaining...I mean, can you imagine sharing a loo with five other blokes?" The boys laughed and chatted idly for a while before Oliver headed to the shower.

Teddy had no intention whatsoever to put away the stuff on his trunks at the moment, and he had the impression he'd procrastinate for as long as he could, but he still opened his baggage and set aside fresh robes and a set of uniforms for tomorrow, smiling to himself all the while and setting a framed picture of the whole family on the bedside table.

He felt a very strong sense of belonging as he stared at the black and yellow bed sheets. I seemed that deep down he knew this was where he'd end up, even if his personal bias tended to lean more towards Gryffindor. He knew Harry and the others would be proud of him anyway (If anything he'd end up only being more coddled by one Molly Weasley), and Andromeda already loved to tell him how much he reminded her of his mum and grandfather, she would probably be delighted.

He couldn't wait to write to Victoire and tell her all about his day (Though he still wasn't sure how she'd react when he mentioned his new acquaintances) but as he stripped himself from the clothes he'd been wearing all day and slipped on his pyjamas, he realized just how tired he truly was.

He had just time to wish Oliver, who had emerged from the bathroom, "G'night" before he started to doze off, the ghost of a smile still on his face.

For the first time in a while, he dreamed about his parents.


End file.
